Colin Quinn: Red State Blue State
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Cititour.com Review
Let’s be honest: It doesn’t take a world-renowned comedian to tell us the U.S. is more divided than at any time since the Civil War; anyone with two eyes, two ears, and access to a TV, newspaper or internet could share that news. But, apparently, it does take someone like SNL alum Colin Quinn to approach this touchy subject with the kind of sardonic yet sharp insight and all-out, occasionally nasty humor that makes his newest show, “Red State Blue State,” a must-see 75-minutes.
Standing on the stage of the Minetta Lane Theatre in front a wooden mural that contains a map of the so-called United States (cleverly designed by Edward T. Morris), Quinn devotes his latest theatrical outing to making his case that, simply put, America has had a good run and the time has come to divorce (or “consciously uncouple”) and retreat to separate corners. The current political system is not just obsolete, it simply hasn’t kept up with the times, he notes: “Three hundred fifty million people, two parties. We have fifteen genders. Four bathrooms, and two parties,” he observes.
Intriguingly, those expecting a full-on anti-Trump rant are in for a surprise. Quinn does eventually make his extremely negative feelings about our current president abundantly clear, and one of the highlights of the show is his “re-creation” of a possible early speech by one of the founding fathers using Trump-like verbiage. (“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union - and by the way it’s actually getting pretty perfect right now, it’s gonna be so perfect.”)
But Quinn places the blame for our current state of affairs where it may mostly rightly belong: on the founding fathers themselves, who crafted an incredibly imperfect Constitution – and then died before fixing it – and on today’s citizens, who he states have taken the ideas of freedom, equality and democracy to untenable extremes. This may all sound crazy on paper, but as Quinn espouses his theories, you’ll simultaneously laugh out loud while thinking he actually makes some sense.
Wisely, though, not every word of the show is directly about politics: Quinn also takes some perfectly-aimed potshots at ABC’s “The Bachelor,” the NYC subway system, how much time we spend at Starbucks, the ubiquity of Amazon, our over-reliance on cell phones, and how we never seem to be satisfied sexually.
And, like every good comedian, Quinn isn’t afraid of offending his audience. A bit about how most people on Facebook have more “followers” than Jesus may have the more religious-minded members of the audience calling for his ex-communication, while a slight digression on the censorship of comedians is likely to make some women – and men – uncomfortable.
But his serpent-like tongue truly emerges right before the show’s end, as that wooden map lights up to highlight each of the 50 states, allowing Quinn to shoot his arrows at each one’s flaws. Some of our brethren are easy targets; some get off fairly easily; others are almost eviscerated. (Here’s a hint, if you’re from either New Jersey or Louisiana, you won’t be happy.)
So, is there a solution to living in this land of perpetual disagreement? Quinn doesn’t have all the answers. But he proposes a couple that might be worth chewing on at an after-show meal. In the meantime, while you’re inside the Minetta Lane, just try not biting your tongue while you’re guffawing.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://colinquinnshow.com
Cast
Colin Quinn
Open/Close Dates
Opening 1/5/2019
Closing 3/16/2019
Box Office
800-745-3000
Theatre Info
Minetta Lane Theatre
18 Minetta Lane
New York, NY 10012
Map
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